Vehicle wheel



. D. SARGENT 1,881,097 7 VEHICLE Wu INYDENTOR a a Lam ar BY J Patented Oct. 4, 932 1,881,097

UNITED STATES PATENT! orrics Application filed October 15, 1928. Serial No. 312,565.

This invention relates to vehicle wheels amount of play occurs. The brake flange of the type in which ,there is' employed a cannot be formed integral with the hub and brake flange. In the usual type of construcweb or either of them, and this entails many tion a brake drum is employed which includes disadvantages, such as difliculty in dismounta brake flange and a supporting web integral ing on the hub as compared with the rim, 55

therewith, the web being detachably secured heavier extra equipment is required, extra to the body of the wheel. weight is required in the hub in order to pro- In my invention the brake flange is cast .vide for detachment of the disc, and extra integral with the supporting parts which latweight is required in the brake drum in orter preferably comprise the body portion of der to provide for the attachment'to the hub; 60 the wheel. Malleable cast iron is not as easy to ma- I am aware that it has heretofore been prochine as gray cast iron. It must be thorposed to make the wheel body and the brake oughly annealed and a certain amount of disflange of a single casting, but so far as I am tortion takes place through this process. It

' aware no construction of this character has is not sufliciently hard to resist bolt, key and 55 gone into commercial use due to certain diflug pressure, and is entirely unsuited for ficulties and objections which I have overthe making of brake flanges on account of come by means of my invention. its softness and its lack of homogeneity.

The materials which have heretofore been I Cast steel is not nearly as fluid as iron, re-

. employed for making the brake flange are quires high temperature so that shrink cracks ot it bl f use in ki g th body 1-- and porous metaloccur in complicated casttion of the wheel, and the materials employed ings, is not nearly as easy to machine as iron, for making the,body of the wheel are not and because of the shrinkage and the annealit bl f ki th b k fl ing a certain amount of distortion occurs.

l 5 The requirements for the metal employed a ke fl ge 11 1S d s a le at' l' i ki th h l a d t il d be absolute uniformity of material, granular compressive strength, suflicient toughne t structure, resistance to compression, resistwithstand transverse shocks and impact, suf- H106 .W h ,r 1 tanOe to hange of strucficient fluidity in the metal to form thin sectum the lnfluellce of heat, g yi tions and complicated designs, freedom from A rolled Steel brake ge -i shrink holes and cracks, easy machinability, j r h n g n l r, a rades easily, is subabsolute conformity to the pattern in order 0t to Changes in structure by heating and to reduce as far as possible finishing operarapld QO Pg, that 1 .1? a qui es emper 01 tions, and suflicient hardness to resist bolt, a g P and 1 (1085 n t have Sflfi'b k d 1 pressure y cient rigidity. Hard rolled steel 18 more sat- Wheels as at present constructed are made lsfactory, f flanges, but 15 fibrous of various different types of material, such' er han granular, and may or may not as wood, forged, rolled or pressed steel, malbe t p g p Preatment dul'mg leable cast iron, a d t t l manufacture. Because of its lack of grani The rolled, forged or pressed steel wheels 1t does not the deslled '1". cannot be shaped into complicated designs, g y- Cast steel does not glve Z same are more diflic lt to machine th iron, formity of structure because of diiferent rates not have the hub and disc, or hub and spokes 0f pgf dlflelent Parts of the cafstlllg and made in one piece thus requiring extra the grain 15 not as dense as that of iron. So-

chining operations before i the assembly of called gun 9 h been usedp 9 5 the parts. The steel suitable for forming drums, but 1t 13 of absjolute y, discs or spokes is not of the hardness required g s have 511111019111? leslstance to g wt to resist the pressure and leverage ex t d and its structure is liable to change under the through attaching bolts at the hub, and the influence of heat. c .60 bolt holes become enlarged so that a certain The advantages of forming the brake goo wheels, and none of them employed for making wheels are suitable for making brake flanges.

I have discovered that a cast iron having a substantially pearlitic matrix and a uniof the brake flange.

form distribution and size of graphite and grain size fulfill all of the requirements for a wheel as well as "those for a brake flange and is suitable for use in making a wheel in which the brake flange is cast integral with the wheel.

Tests of such material show a tensile strength of 41,000 pounds per square inch, transverse strength of 7 4,000 pounds per square inch, and deflection of 0.416 inch be tween 24 inch supports. This material offers very-great resistance to wear, one reason being that the carbon content is much higher than that of steel and the pearlitic structure is much more resistant-than the A, pearlitic and ferric structure of steel.

As one important feature of my invention I use this material and cast the brake flange and wheel integral. The complete casting may include the hub, spokes felly and brake flange, or if desired, the felly may be made separate or omitted entirely and the hub made separate, whereby the body of the wheel may besecured to various sizes, makes or designs of hub.

As a further important feature I provide a novel design in'which the brake flange is integral with the corrugated drum and spoke parts so as to give great strength and promote. cooling, both by radiation from the flange and by fan action.

In the preferred construction the side walls are spaced apart to a greater distance than the side walls of the spoke parts between the brake flange and the axis, the first mentioned side walls also flare or diverge in a radial direction toward the axis and also in an axial direction toward the inner side of the wheel. Also they project partway across the surface As one advantage of this construction the machining of the hub and the inside of the brake flange can both be accomplished in one operation, and as a consequence the .brake flange surface is absolutely concentric with the hub and the cost of machining is greatly reduced. The usual work of facing the contacting surfaces of the wheel and the brake fl'drum, the drilling of holes, and the insertion of bolts is obviated. This result can only be. obtained if the metal is strong, dense and of uniform structure and free from shrink holes and cracks, and the design preferably such that the wheel'may be cast without a central core.

I have illustrated only one of many embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawings as many changes may be made within the scope of my invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a portion of the casting looking from the inner side of the wheel;

Fig. 2.is a radial longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; c

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but from the outside; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections on the lines 44 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 2.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a fellyless type of wheel in which the hub, spokes, web, brake flange and rim supports are cast integral.

So far as concerns the main features of cross-section with adjacent edges of succes sive spokes connected by a web 11. These spokes and the web are shown as integral with a hub 12, and between successive spokes are webs or walls 13 extending in radial longitudinal planes to connect the inner ends of the side walls of each spoke to the hub, and brace and reinforce the parts.

Each spoke at its outer end is shown as provided with means for the'detachable securing of a, rim thereon. This includes an .outer end wall 15 with a cam surface 16 onto which the rim may be forced, and an outer axially facing wall 17 having an aperture 18 1 for the reception of some form of rim clampof the spoke ends beyond the brake flange ing means.

The wheel is provided with a brake flange 20 which is cast integral with the web and spokes. This is on the inner side ofthe wheel and of substantially cylindrical form with one edge substantially registering with the outer edge of the web 11 and integral therewith. This edge of the brake flange isspaced from the outside walls'of the several spokes so that the channel 21 in each spoke forms a passage from the inner side of the brake flange to the outer side thereof for the circulation of air during the rotation of the wheel.

The outer end of each spoke is made wider than the body portion thereof and has side walls 22 which diverge toward the brake flange so that their inner ends are spaced to a considerable distance apart and thus nearer to the corresponding walls of the adjacent spokes. Thus the radiation of heat from the brake flange is rendered more uniform along the length of the latter. Likewise these walls diverge in an axial direction from the outer side toward the inner side of the wheel as shown particularly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

The inner edges 23 of these walls slant inwardly and axially so that they unite with the brake flange at points intermediate of the side edges of the latterso as to also facilitate heat radiation, distribute strain, and further strengthen and reinforce the construction.

It will be noted that each spoke is closed at its outer end by the wall 15. This closing maybe effected by a felly cast integral with the spokes or secured thereto, or it may' be closed by the detachable rim secured to the Outer ends of the spokes in a fellyless wheel.

It will also be noted that the air passages through each spoke open toward the inner side of the wheel at points inside of and outside of the brake flange so that the air will be drawn in from the inside of the brake flange and delivered along the outer surface of the latter due to centrifugal action or fan action in the use of the wheel.

By the use of the pearlitic iron of the type heretofore referred to, the entire wheel may be made of a single casting, the brake drum will meet all of the requirements above referred to as desirable for a brake flange, and the body of the wheel will meet all of the requirements above referred to for such features.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A vehicle wheel including spokes, web and brake flange cast integral, said spokes being substantially U -shaped in cross-section, saidweb being disposed between said spokes and connecting the open side of each spoke to that 'of the adjacent one and having its outer edge spaced from the outer ends of the spokes, and said brake flange extending axially from the outer ed e of the web, the side walls of each spoke eyond the brake flange being.

spaced to a greater distance than the corresponding walls between the brake flange and wheel axis.

2. A vehicle wheel including spokes, web

and brake flange castv integral, said spokes being substantially U-shapedin cross-section, said-web being disposed between said spokes and connectingthe open side of each spoke to that of the adjacent one and havin its outer edge spaced fr 111 the outer ends 0 the spokes, and said br ke flange extending ax ially from the outer edge of the web, the side walls of each spoke beyond the brake flange diverging in an inwardly radial direction and having their edges out of alignment with the corresponding edges of said walls between the brake flange and wheel axis.

3. A vehicle wheel including spokes, web and brake flange cast integral, said spokes being substantially U-shaped in cross-section, said web being disposed between said spokes and connecting the open side of each spoke to that of the adjacent one and having its outer edge spaced from the outer ends of the spokes, and said brake flange extending axially from the outer edge of the web, the side walls of each spoke diverging in an axial direction to a greater extent than do the corresponding Walls between the brake flange and wheel axis.

4f A vehicle wheel including spokes, web and brake flange cast integral, said spokes being substantially U- shaped in cross-section;

to that of the adjacent one and having its outer edge spaced from the outer ends of the spokes, and said brake flange extending axially from the outer edge of the web, the side walls of each spoke beyond the brake flange being wider than the corresponding walls between said brake flange and the wheel axis, so that said side walls extend in an approximately axial direction across the outer surface of the brake flange.

5. A vehicle wheel having a pluraliy of hollow spokes, and a. brake flange extending axially from said spokes intermediate of their ends, the side walls of each spoke beyond the brake flange being spaced to a greater distance than the corresponding walls between the brake flange and wheel axis.

6. A vehiclewheel having a plurality ofi hollow spokes, and a brake flange extending axially from saidspokes intermediate of their ends, the side walls of each spoke beyond the brake flange diverging in an inwardly radial direction and having their edges out of alignment with the corresponding edges of said walls between the brake flange and wheel axis.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 11th day of October A, D. 1928.

WILLIAM D. SARGENT. 

